https://7news.com.au/entertainment/prin ... 9-c-157619Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has died. He was 99.
Buckingham Palace confirmed his death in an official statement released on Friday morning local time.
“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the official statement reads.
“His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.
“The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”
Philip married the Queen in 1947, making theirs the longest marriage of any British monarch.
His Royal Highness will be remembered as much for his sharp wit - and gaffes - as for his loyal public service.
He spent most of his final years out of the spotlight, staying primarily at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk after retiring from royal duties in 2017 at the age of 96.
In early 2019, Philip escaped serious injury after his car overturned in an accident outside the estate.
Just prior to Christmas, the ageing duke was admitted to a London hospital as a precautionary measure due to a pre-existing condition.
Early life
Born to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg on June 10, 1921, on the Greek island of Corfu, Philip had a tumultuous childhood.
After the Greco-Turkish war in 1922, Philip’s family, including his four elder sisters, was banished for life from Greece.
A British naval vessel evacuated the family, with 18-month-old Philip carried to safety in a cot made from a fruit box.
Formative years
Much of Philip’s formative years were spent jumping from country to country.
The family escaped to France, where Philip lived for six years before he was sent to the UK to study in 1928, residing with his relatives in the House of Mountbatten.
During this time, Philip’s mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and placed in an asylum, while his father took up residence in Monte Carlo.
‘My mother was ill, my sisters were married, my father was in the south of France - I just had to get on with it.’
In 1933, Philip was sent to Germany to study, but, after just two terms, he moved to Scotland where the school’s Jewish founder fled during the rise of Nazism.
“My mother was ill, my sisters were married, my father was in the south of France - I just had to get on with it,” Philip said in the 1950s of his turbulent upbringing.
Proud serviceman
Philip left school at 18, joining the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth where he graduated as a top cadet just ahead of World War II.
Few royals served such combative roles as Philip who, at one stage, fought against his own brothers-in-law who served on the German side.
At just 21, Philip was promoted to first lieutenant of the HMS Wallace, making him one of the youngest first lieutenants in the Royal Navy.
Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at the Royal Naval Officers' School in July 1947.
Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at the Royal Naval Officers' School in July 1947. Credit: Getty Images
The Queen, pictured wearing sunglasses, enjoyed a stay as a guest at the house of then-governor general of New Zealand, Willoughby Norrie.
ENTERTAINMENT
‘One woman, two personas’: Unseen footage of Queen Elizabeth uncovered
Young princess
It was during his time in the navy that Philip courted a beautiful young princess, whom he met when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth brought their two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, to tour the Royal Naval College in 1939.
Enamoured by him, Elizabeth - the prince’s third cousin - and Philip began exchanging letters when she was 13.
In 1946, with the caveat that a formal engagement announcement be held off until Elizabeth’s 21st birthday, Phillip asked King George for the princess’ hand in marriage.
Controversial choice
He was seen as a controversial choice to join the royal family.
Foreign-born, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish titles and adopted his mother’s family surname: Mountbatten.
The couple wed at Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947, with 2,000 guests and another 200 million listening on BBC Radio.
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace, London, after their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace, London, after their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Credit: Keystone/Getty Images
In post-war Britain, none of Philip’s German relations - including his three surviving sisters, who married Germans with Nazi links - were allowed to attend the ceremony.
He was named Duke of Edinburgh on the eve of their wedding day and a Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957.
The longest marriage of any British sovereign, Philip has stood steadfast by Queen Elizabeth’s side for more than 70 years.
Royal philanthropist
The couple’s first child, Prince Charles, was born in 1948.
A man of many philanthropic endeavours, His Royal Highness completed 22,219 solo engagements and 637 solo visits before retiring from public duty in 2017.
In 1956, he founded the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, a program encouraging young adults to engage in leadership, community development and physical activities extracurricular to their studies.
A passionate conservationist, Philip served as president of the World Wildlife Fund from 1981 to 1996.
His Royal Highness photographed in 1953.
His Royal Highness photographed in 1953. Credit: Twitter/The Royal Family
Royal family
The Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II had four children: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.
Philip provided counsel to his eldest, Prince Charles, amid his tumultuous courtship with Lady Diana Spencer.
He wrote to Charles, urging him to either break off their relationship - or ask for her hand.
Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh with Princess Elizabeth and their children Prince Charles and Princess Anne in 1951.
Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh with Princess Elizabeth and their children Prince Charles and Princess Anne in 1951. Credit: Getty Images
Charles chose the latter, proposing to Diana in February 1981.
Ten years later, as their relationship broke down, Philip attempted to reconcile the relationship, writing to both Charles and Diana and expressing his disapproval at both parties’ extra-marital affairs.
The couple divorced in 1996.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana waving from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, are accompanied by Prince Philip.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana waving from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, are accompanied by Prince Philip. Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images
It was the Queen and the Duke who, when Diana was killed in a car crash in August 1997, shielded their two grandchildren, Harry and William, from the media.
Claims that Philip orchestrated the devastating accident followed the Duke for years, propounded by Mohamed Fayed, whose son Dodi Fayed died in the crash.
It was only in 2008 that an inquest into Diana’s death found no evidence of the so-called conspiracy.
Retirement from duty
In the years following his retirement, Philip mostly stayed at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, where he busied himself by reading, painting and seeing friends.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh look on after the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York in 2018.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh look on after the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York in 2018. Credit: Alastair Grant/Getty
